One piece: A New Twist
by Genderbending Master
Summary: The Ocean really worked in mysterious ways. A long time ago, even before the devil fruits there was another power, but... Due to the bizzare turn of events, Luffy finds a mysterious girl on an island, he is determined to have her join his crew, but is she as keen on the idea?
1. A Real Smile

**One Piece: A New Twist**

**A/N: **hey peoples, this is the rewritten version of my first fanfic. and i've finally finished/started it again. ive changed the plot and hope you like it. and yay, ive finally started naming my chapters ;)

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1 – A Real Smile**

Somewhere on the vast ocean there was a small wooden raft and on it sat a young girl. She looked so pale and fragile that it felt like she was going to break into pieces at the slightest movement. She looked almost transparent and unreal as if she was merely a realistic-looking glass doll. Her emerald eyes held wisdom and knowledge well beyond her age and her stare was ice cold and filled with venomous hatred. Midnight black hair, stood out vibrantly against her pale complexion tied into a short ponytail and a fringe hiding her scars. But she was merely lying to herself, as she knew that no matter how hard she tried, it will always be there haunting her dreams or rather nightmares. Her heart bound no joy as she sailed on, floating in the sea with no purpose, no dream and no hope. Only one thing kept her going as she experienced the harshness of the world with her only companion, Aoi, her dolphin; and it was simple really, it was just the will to survive and to keep fighting, but she had long forgotten the purpose, apart from the ghostly memories of a small promise.

She stared at the horizon, her mind a complete blank as she floated closer to the island. She felt the ocean urging her on encouraging her as she once again questioned her existence. But a small nudge from Aoi and a pushing hand from the sea was all it took to set her back on track, for now. Though little did she know about the mysterious plans of fate that Mother Ocean had in mind for her…

Her eyes spotted a moving dot in the sky, becoming bigger and bigger until a boy fell into the sea creating a huge splash drenching her to the core. She blinked rapidly as if unsure of whether this was just another illusion. When she opened her eyes, only a small pool of bubbles marked his existence. There was only a slight moment of hesitation, before she dived in the pool and fished out a very wet Luffy . Though little did she know about his identity or how he will change her life very soon.

_A few minutes ago…_

"Luffy you idiot!" yelled his crew, as they watched Luffy become nothing, but a mere dot in the horizon. Looks of horror adorned their faces as they realised the consequences of him, a devil fruit user falling into the sea. Luffy, being the moron he was, just had to misaim his shot and fling himself into the sea. His nakama went into frantic mode as they grabbed the paddles and headed straight towards the sea king completely ignoring his existence. It looked scared as the crazy crew came charging at him and subsequently dove back into the sea.

_Now…_

A small gasp emitted from the girl, as she saw that the boy's arm had stretched while she was trying to pull him to the shore. She mentally scolded herself for not sensing his devil fruit ability earlier.

She pondered over her next step and what to do with her new 'guest'. He looked harmless, but she knew it was unwise to judge a person by their experience. And he was a devil fruit user, most likely a paramecia and that meant that he could possibly be dangerous. But was she willing to leave him at the mercy of death?

After a while, she found herself gathering firewood and surveying the area. She had left Aoi in charge of him. She slowly made her way back to the spot, though she did not bother to cover her tracks as this island was apparently uninhabited, thus she did not see the need to. The warm fire was essential as the sun was hiding behind the curtain of grey clouds with little light seeping through. She tried to shake him awake, but he just groggily muttered something about meat and nakama. An idea hit her as she pinched the bridge of his nose, and he sat up with a dazed expression on his face.

"Where am I?"

* * *

'My name is Luffy and I'm the man who is going to be the pirate king', these words echoed around her head as she studied the boy to see if he actually meant what he said. His eyes showed honesty and they were sparkling at the very thought of his dream. He held hope and ambition and an aura of happiness surrounded him.

"Ne, do you have any meat?" asked Luffy.

"No either eat this or nothing and the name's RIko," she said in an icy cold voice.

Now that he had woken up she held no responsibility over his foolish actions. He could go and die for all she cared, as long as he was out of his sight. He was an annoying brat, sticking his nose into her business and asking all these questions. He was two years older than her for Ocean's sake. How could he be so immature, and before she could even open her mouth to ask why he was flying in the sky behaving like a total imbecile, by almost drowning. He had bombarded her with all these questions invading her privacy. Though he was amusing to watch at times, no she could not let her guard down no matter how innocent he looked. She had suffered and learnt it the hard way. He just wouldn't stop following her. She headed towards the jungle hoping to shake him of her tail, but to no avail.

He was so sickeningly happy all the time especially with that stupid grin. There seemed to be a constant shower of joy over him and he was full of energy the moment he regained conscious.

"Riko, are you still mad at me for trying to eat Aoi?"

"Urusai, annoying pest!"

However, her comment seemed to have gone to deaf ears as Luffy continued laughing and joking. Riko merely scowled at him before walking around aimlessly.

"Riko, why are you ignoring me?"

That was the last straw, he had been annoying her to no end. And he still had the guts to ask why she was ignoring him. She turned around and started shouting at him. The words tumbling out of her mouth stopped in mid-air as she saw Luffy lunging at her. Or so she thought. He pushed her away and she fell and looked back about to glare at him when she stopped and gaped at his arm blood steadily flowing from it as a tiger bit it. He had tried to save him.

She stared at him, with a new wave of emotion washing over her, a warm fuzzy feeling spread through to all parts of her body. It was comforting and familiar; a feeling she hadn't felt in years. She gazed at him, her eyes wide with shock as she saw the blood dripping from his arm, he felt her gaze and turned around and gave her a grin. And at that moment her mask and walls of darkness shattered as rays of hope found their way back into her heart. She smiled back, a real smile.

* * *

**Thats it for now.**

**Grrr, for some reason i cant type Monkey . D . Luffy :( well i can but i dont like the ugly big gaps...**

**review please :)**


	2. Breaking the Mask

**A/N: **Hey guys! Heres a new update sorry for the long wait. And sorry for the short chapters, i promise they will get longer.

**Chapter 2 - Breaking the Mask**

"Riko!"  
"What?"  
"Join my crew!"  
"Maybe…"  
"So that's a yes. Yosh, another member."  
"Oi, I said maybe," shouted Riko, only to find that Luffy had fallen asleep.

She sighed and turned to the ocean staring at the waves, but something was different. There was something else in those green eyes; they were no longer empty or ghostly, but were filled with a new sparkle of excitement and a familiar longing for the ocean and adventure. She watched as Aoi danced with the waves, spinning and turning as if sharing her joy. She grinned, a new sense of contentedness settling over her as she too fell into deep slumber.

She soon awoke to excited yells and a quite beaten up Luffy with a sheepish expression on his face. Suddenly she saw a busty orange-haired girl run up to Luffy and hug him, but not before bashing his brains out.  
"Luffy you baka, do you know how worried I was? DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" yelled Nami, with tears streaming down her face.  
"Shishishi, sorry Nami," was all Luffy could manage before shouting out, "Eh guys, I got us a new nakama, Riko!" he yelled before gesturing towards Riko.

She simply stared as if trying to wake up from a dream, her mind a complete jumble and clueless about how to react. And the worst thing of all was that he was there. She gaped at him her eyes wide with disbelief, out of all the pirate crews he had to be there. Memories flooded through her brain, sad ones and happy ones, but they meant nothing to her anymore. He knew who she was, or so he once thought. But there was more to her than what meets the eye. She could not to it, they may call her a coward, but after countless betrayals and tragic endings; she could not bear to interact, to even see this figure from her past. She wanted to forget; she wanted to be free, free from all the wrongs and rights of the world, free from the marines' so-called justice and free from a curse that would never be knowing what else to do, she ran, ran away from all her fears desperately trying to escape and forget about the faint memories of a happy time. She could not and will not break down again. She had been foolish to let down her guard, knowing the full responsibility of her childish actions. She had once believed and dreamed that anything was possible, but the harshness of the world had soon proved her naiveness and vulnerability. She ran and ran, blinking away tears that had threaded through her perfectly laid out mask. Her bottled emotions had finally exploded.

* * *

"Hey Riko, wait up!" yelled Luffy, chasing after Riko, once he had untangled himself from Nami's strangling hug.  
"Luffy!" yelled Usopp before he started chasing after him along with Nami.  
Sanji just watched the events fold out before him and continued to guard the ship according to his 'dearest' Nami-san's wishes. Zoro appeared to be in a daze as the name echoed again and again in his mind.  
Riko, Riko, Riko, Riko, RIko...  
It was a mere coincidence right, she just happened to have the same name, but he could not forget those eyes, those piercing green eyes once filled with joy and laughter. But he denied all possibilities as after all she was dead right. The girl she once knew, his best friend...  
But deep down, his heart was telling him to chase after her and not miss another chance.  
And it was no surprise that he too soon joined in the chase of follow-the-leader, and had soon overtaken Nami and Usopp.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Nami and Usopp were bent down, tired and wheezing. And sweat flowed steadily down their face. However Zoro appeared to have a mountain of energy left and Luffy and Riko had already disappeared continuing their chase of cat and mouse. Though it was still too early to tell who was the cat and who was the mouse.  
"Hurry up, we lost sight of them, because you two are so slow." growled Zoro.  
Monsters with inhuman stamina!  
"That's because you are leading," protested Usopp and Nami.  
*Devilish Glare*

_With Luffy and Riko... _

"Luffy, for Ocean's sake just leave me alone!" shouted an exasperated RIko.  
"No, you're my nakama," stated Luffy," and I'm your captain."  
"Seriously, why do you want me of all people to join your crew. I mean it's me, no one wants me, no one cares right...?" muttered Riko as her voice slowly faded into a mere whisper.

Her heart thumped loudly and her voice was becoming muffled, she could feel the tears, but they would not stop. The more she tried the harder they flowed. Silently, they fell.

"You saved my life and you're really nice and kind," said Luffy matter-of-factly, "plus you have a cool dolphin," he added.  
She listened, but made no move or reply, just continued to sob silently, sitting as still as a stone.  
Luffy did not know what to do, but he knew one thing, Riko was going to join his crew no matter what. She was special and there was something about her, perhaps it was just his instinct helping him to choose the correct people. And he will rely and depend on it.  
"Riko, don't cry. You are really important, and I will protect you, because you are my nakama. You will love it on the ship, you can play with me and Usopp, Nami will be pleased to have another girl on board so will Sanji. And you can have fun teasing Zoro." he rambled on, desperately trying to convince her. But all this thinking was starting to give him a headache, he scowled and willed it to go away.  
Little by little, he shredded away all her doubts, worries and fear. This time, permanently breaking through her carefully-laid mask.

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**A/N: **So this is it, yes i know it was awfully short and the title might sound a bit weird but i couldnt think of anythin else.

Review plz :)


	3. The Promise

**Chapter 3 - A Promise**

_**Last Time on One Piece: A New Twist**_

_"Luffy, for Ocean's sake just leave me alone!" shouted an exasperated RIko._  
_"No, you're my nakama," stated Luffy," and I'm your captain."_  
_"Seriously, why do you want me of all people to join your crew. I mean it's me, no one wants me, no one cares right...?" muttered Riko as her voice slowly faded into a mere whisper._

_Her heart thumped loudly and her voice was becoming muffled, she could feel the tears, but they would not stop. The more she tried the harder they flowed. Silently, they fell._

_"You saved my life and you're really nice and kind," said Luffy matter-of-factly, "plus you have a cool dolphin," he added._  
_She listened, but made no move or reply, just continued to sob silently, sitting as still as a stone._  
_Luffy did not know what to do, but he knew one thing, Riko was going to join his crew no matter what. She was special and there was something about her, perhaps it was just his instinct helping him to choose the correct people. And he will rely and depend on it._  
_"Riko, don't cry. You are really important, and I will protect you, because you are my nakama. You will love it on the ship, you can play with me and Usopp, Nami will be pleased to have another girl on board so will Sanji. And you can have fun teasing Zoro." he rambled on, desperately trying to convince her. But all this thinking was starting to give him a headache, he scowled and willed it to go away._  
_Little by little, he shredded away all her doubts, worries and fear. This time, permanently breaking through her carefully-laid mask._

* * *

"Luffy..."

"Riko, you are my nakama I'll never leave you, I promise."

"Luffy, I, you, I don't know what to say, but I can't I really can't."

"Riko look at me," muttered Luffy in a serious tone.

Shock pulsed through her body as brown pierced into green, his eyes filled with promises, promises of happiness, promises of the future...

"RIKO! I, Monkey D Luffy declare you as an offical member of the Straw-hat pirates, and I swear upon my name that I will protect you forever."

Something, just something made her want to believe him, just one more time her mind urged. You can trust him, he'll help you. And as the fire of reignited in her eyes, a devillish smile crossed her face as she stood up facing him and proudly announced:

"I, Koizumi Riko, promise that as a member of the straw-hat pirates I will do everything in my power to help Monkey D Luffy become Pirate King!"

They shook hands, gripping each other tightly as they made the promise.

The beginnings of a beautiful frienship blossomed as Riko had finally opened her heart and made the first step.

* * *

"LUFFFFFFY!"

"Ah, sorry Zoro..."

* * *

The wind gently caressed her flowing hair as she stood on the deck of the _Going Merry_ as she looked out towards the sea, she gripped her necklace tightly as she thought over the past few days...

Luffy, was well Luffy, a simple-minded, meat-loving captain. But yet, with the flip of a switch he could become, a...a light, unwavering and strong guiding and fighting against all odds, after all she had seen this first hand, and she could not believe that this was actually her captain. Though it has been said that _The Will of D_ works in mysterious ways.

Nami, was curious and suspicious, but after the innitial 'interrogation' they had been fine. She was kind, but too...money-loving. The way her eyes would glow, she shivered whenever she saw that familiar calculating look as that usually meant...well nothing good.

Usopp, a liar, but she supposed that everyone had their own unique way of gaining courage. He was entertaining to say the least and every so helpful. His aim was by far impressive, though one wouldn't think of a pachinko as a intimidating weapon, it suited him rather well.

Sanji, he was sweet, kindly treating her like a princess, but thankfully she was still quite young for his 'compliments'.

But, Zoro he was still the same, yet totally different. Their was no sign of recognisation as all he gave was a gruff nod of approval as left, disinterested. Had he really forgotten her so soon, it has been a long time, but to seemingly erase her from his memory, that was just a big _no_. She wanted to ask him so many questions, but yet at the same time she was afraid. In the end she settled on allowing him to come to his own senses.

* * *

She watched with an amused expression as Luffy barreled off, most likely with no clue to where he was going. But at the words 'Pirate King and Execution' he had bounded off, determined to get to his destination and see the very platform that the famous Pirate King, Gol D Roger had been executed. Though, she couldn't really blame him, she took in the sights as she took off to explore the hometown of the famous pirate.

And so the crew split, each setting off with their own destination in mind as they enjoyed the sights of Loguetown, the end and the beginning of their long journey and the adventures to come.

* * *

It had all happened in a blur, she had headed back to the harbour to check on Aoi only to see a strange man with his lion locked into a 'fight', if it could even be adressed as such, with Usopp. However, due to the rain all his shots were sadly blown away by the rough wind. And Nami well was standing there, barely supporting the weight of a giant blue fish of some kind. Just, what in the world had happened when she had wondered off. She got out her whip ready to defend her friend, but that was when she felt it, the darkness, the dread, they were here, their was no mistake, the feeling of horror and dead floated around as painful memories were once again brought up. Her thoughts wer fuzzy, her mind echoing with the words:

They knew...how could they have found out so soon? How?

But one thing was certain, they were coming and this time, they were going to finish the job...

* * *

Nami's POV

She stood their, her eyebrow twitching as she watched Usopp miss shot after shot as his 'weapon' was rendered useless in the rain. She watched as Aoi swam around, distressed as she splashed the water trying to get their attention. Suddenly, by some miracle the lion had been distracted by...a foul-smelling rotten egg. But, that was none of her buisness really, everyone had 'unique' interests and preferences, even animals.

Her ears picked out a sound of distress as she whipped around to see Riko standing their, her small figure hunched as her hood shadowed her face. She stood their seemingly lost, her whip hanging from her hand, limp and unmoving. That was when she saw it, a white flash blurred past her, and within a blink, it was gone. She seemeed so fragile at that moment as her body visibly tensed.

Nami walked up slowly as she gently led the stressed girl towards the ship as Usopp desperately tried to get the ship ready on his own. The marines were closing in, their shouts echoing in the air, as the marching footsteps grew louder and louder. She knew she should run and drag Riko too. But for some reason, it didn't feel right. So with a calm and comforting air aura protectively wrapped around the pair, she led the lost child towards their ship.

* * *

They had escaped, by a hair's breath, but Riko's distress did not seem to disperse. When asked or comforted or she gave was a strained, yet somewhat pained smile as she accepted the comforting hands.

She wondered briefly how much longer, she had to enjoy and wallow in their warmth and bright smiles. How much longer, till her new found belonging and happiness was taken away again. How much longer till she was left with nothing, but the emptiness of broken promises and tears of loneliness that only served to remind her of her weakness. How much longer...

* * *

The ship sailed smoothly through the wind as its crew members were locked in a heated discussion, Usopp and Riko wisely chose to stay out and merely stood to the side as they watched the 'conversation', which mainly involved lots of violence from Nami, random comments from the love-struck Sanji and what could be described as idiotic and very stubborn comments and arguments coming from Zoro and Luffy.

As usual, with the slightest insult coming from Zoro, it turned from an argument to a full-blown fight. However, Riko was too distracted by her own thoughts to step in this time as bit her lip in frustration. Usopp scared by the _monstrous trio_ made the very 'mature and smart' choice to just stay the hell out of the way, which apparently meant taking two steps back. Yes, very wise Usopp. Unfortunately for our very clever sniper, Zoro and Sanji tended to be what we could call 'wondering around' fighters and were _very enthusiastic _to settle their current argument. And poor Usopp soon got dragged into the mess and got quite roughed up, to put it in a nicer perspectives.

Nami, having noticed the fight and the possible amount of damage it could cause quickly stepped in and ended the brawl in one swift motion in a very classic Nami style. After all, damage equals spending money to fix it and of course, we couldn't have that could we?

* * *

Anyway, the discussion was close, as Nami was well the navigator, but not only was she the navigator she was a female which were a higher spieces, well at least according to Sanji, who was always full of praises for 'his' beautiful goddess.

However, this was the Straw Hats and of course things don't go as planned as they had unfortunately sailed into the calm belt and were soon viciously attacked by several cranky and hungry sea kings, who were rudely awakened.

Usopp, the ever brave warrior stood fearful and quivering as his legs shook at the very sight of the monstrous and gleaming teeth. However, as usual we did not get the chance of seeing his mightyness in action as the monsters were quickly subdued by Luffy, Sanji and Zoro as the _Going Merry _sped out of the danger zone.

* * *

Apparently, anything was possible and it was very normal for a strong current of water to defy all laws of gravity as it flowed upwards, guiding its latest passenger to the entrance of the Grand Line as the many members of our favourite crew, were currently displaying very _interesting_ shades of colour on their faces as they grabbed onto the closest thing and hung on for their dear life.

They sighed in relief as the _thrilling_ ride had ended and they subsequently arrived at a mysterious mountain that had not been shown on the map. Strange, was the map outdated? Had a moutain grown out of nowhere, with them being the first discovers of this new structure?

However, a loud wail of anguish soon showed that this was no mere mountain and that their problems had just begun as the crew was engulfed by the newly-identified whale, Laboon.

* * *

Her eyes were wide as she felt herself sinking, she flailed her arms in panic as she took in gulps of...acid?

Bubbles followed her speeding descent as her eyes closed, the last thing of her consciousness was a dashing arrow of green.

* * *

She awoke with, her mind drowsy as she coughed up heaps of liquid. Enjoying the essence of air, she took a deep gulp of oxygen as she calmed her racing heartbeat. Her eyes locked onto her target as she proceeded to give her idiotic captain a piece of her mind, I mean who the heck thinks that it is a good idea to aggravate a gigantic whale who easily towered them by smashing their fist into its eye. And worse of all this whole incident was cause by the lost of a seat, a piece of wood that could easily be reattached.

Nami seemed to have shared the idea as she was _sweetly _explaining the concepts of logic and common sense...through the use of her fist. After all 'great minds think alike', right?


End file.
